Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Series: None
Publication Date: June 1, 2021
Publisher: Ballatine Books
Pages: 365
Obtained: publisher via Netgalley
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4.5/5
Bottom Line: Family above everything
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Grab
Summary: Malibu: August 1983. It’s the day of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over—especially as the offspring of the legendary singer Mick Riva. The only person not looking forward to the party of the year is Nina herself, who never wanted to be the center of attention, and who has also just been very publicly abandoned by her pro tennis player husband. Oh, and maybe Hud—because it is long past time for him to confess something to the brother from whom he’s been inseparable since birth. Jay, on the other hand, is counting the minutes until nightfall, when the girl he can’t stop thinking about promised she’ll be there. And Kit has a couple secrets of her own—including a guest she invited without consulting anyone. By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family’s generations will all come rising to the surface. Malibu Rising is a story about one unforgettable night in the life of a family: the night they each have to choose what they will keep from the people who made them . . . and what they will leave behind. ~amazon.com
Review: I loved the 80s vibes from this novel include the font of the title pages and the colors which definitely had a Miami Vice feel to them. Anyone else? From the opening lines you know that things just aren't going to be all that great for the Riva family; starting with Mick and June. June, so young when she falls for sweet-talking Mick never really recovers from that heartbreak. June does immensely love all of her kids from Nina, Jay, Hud and Kat they all own a piece of her heart. Nina is the one that recalls her father's presence in their life when they were young and has the affects of it in her adult life.
The Riva's have given this party over the years but this year feels different for all of them. They are all going through things in their lives that need to be sorted out; among each other, among others and in their own individual lives. Ms. Jenkins Reid tells the story through flashbacks to the courtship/relationship of Mick & June, the Riva kids' childhood and then their current struggles. It's all told in a timeline leading up to the end of the party.
I will admit that Malibu Rising started out a bit slowly but once I could spend some time with this wonderful family the book flew by. I loved each of the Riva siblings but as the oldest, I found myself drawn to Nina. I loved how each of them grew up a bit and came into their own and in their own ways.
I highly recommend Malibu Rising for long time fans of Ms. Jenkins Reid's novel and to readers who might just be discovering her.
No comments:
Post a Comment